Workdays and Weekends: James Moir of JM Customs

We caught up with James Moir from JM Customs for a chat about how he fills his workdays and weekends. His passion is motor cycles and he has found an outlet in his new custom bike workshop, JM Customs.  

James is working on making this his full-time job but until then he pays the bills by working off-shore, which means there's no such thing as a typical workday or weekend!

James prides himself on building bespoke custom motorcycles at an affordable cost and he designs and fabricates everything possible in house which allows him to deliver the best possible product. We love a hashtag here at Small City and #BuiltNotBought is right up our street! 

1. What does a typical day at work look like for you?

A typical day for me is being woken up by one or more of my four daughters haha, usually around 6am. We all get ourselves ready for the day and I do the school run before heading to the shop. (not before grabbing a large cup of coffee) 

I always set up for the next day before I leave the shop in the evening, so that when I arrive I am already off to a good start. Being that I also work offshore, time management and working efficiently is Key for me to deliver multiple projects on Schedule.

I like to take a short while in the mornings, to sit and look at a project, sketching and listing my ideas, and forming the direction I am going in, as each build is completely different It’s good to take this time to keep the design clear in my mind.

I also like to contact my suppliers and order parts and materials for projects in the morning, so I am unhindered for the rest of the day to do what I enjoy the most - fabricate! For me there is nothing more satisfying than converting my Ideas into reality through fabrication.

One of the things I really enjoy is when someone drops by the shop with a question or a project in mind, I get to meet all different characters through building Motorbikes and it keeps things interesting.

2. What signals the start of your weekend / days off?

Swimming Lessons! My daughter Lacey has swimming lessons on a Friday afternoon, so we all end up at the pool signalling the start of the weekend .

We like to spend as much time together as possible over the weekends, enjoying days out, walking our dog in the Woods and playing around the house.

3. What makes for a perfect night in?

A great relaxing meal and a movie with all my girls, usually sat in front of the fire with skewers and marsh mallows.

4. What makes for a memorable day or night out?

Spending time with my Family and good friends.

5. Tell us about the weekend you’d love to live again?

My wedding weekend, not because I was so drunk I can’t remember it ha ha!! But, because as well as marrying my best friend, it was a rare occasion where I had everyone that means a lot to me in one room together.

6. And now your best ever day at work?

Each time I turn a bike over to a customer, seeing their reactions and how excited they are with their new Bike! That for me is the very best part of what I do at JMC. Those days are the best days!

7. Any workday or weekend rituals?

Not particularly, as a busy working parent I like to take a walk with my dog or if the weather is favourable a ride on my Motorbike, just to take that time to chill out and get out of work mode. Which is almost impossible when your as passionate about Motorcycles as I am!

8. What’s in the perfect day off breakfast?

A Coffee and bagels with scrambled eggs.

9. Any words of wisdom for us?

Do the things today that others won’t, So you can do the things they cannot, tomorrow!

James is the owner of JM Customs and is based at Tulloch Works in Perth.